Technique of relaying communications between client apparatus and server apparatus

1. A relay apparatus that obtains a first program from a server apparatus and returns the obtained first program to a client apparatus by forwarding a first message received from the client apparatus to the server apparatus, the relay apparatus comprising: a receiving unit for receiving the first message from the client apparatus, the first message making a request to the server apparatus for the first program to be operated in the client apparatus; a first reply section for causing the client apparatus to execute a load program by providing the load program to the client apparatus, in response to a receipt of the first message requesting the first program, the load program requesting the first program and a monitor program for monitoring the first program, the load program being provided on condition that the first program requested via the first message is an initial program out of a plurality of programs that are sequentially requested of the server apparatus by the client apparatus and are to be executed in parallel in the client apparatus; a second reply section for causing the client apparatus to execute the monitor program by providing a previously-stored instance of the monitor program to the client apparatus on condition that a received second message requests the monitor program; and a storing unit for storing the first program in a memory device of the relay apparatus by obtaining the first program from the server apparatus in response to a receipt of the first message, the second reply section causing the client apparatus to execute the first program by providing the first program from the memory device of the relay apparatus on condition that a received third message requests the first program, wherein the client apparatus executes both the monitor program and the first program in parallel, the monitor program and the first program each being provided to the client apparatus via the relay apparatus, wherein the first program requested with the first message is recorded in a SWF file that provides a Flash movie clip; and the first reply section returns the load program on condition that the first message is not transmitted by a second program recorded in another SWF file operating in the client apparatus, but is transmitted by a Web browser in the client apparatus as a result of rendering a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document; wherein each of the load program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program; in response to a receipt of the first message, the first reply section returns, as the load program, a same-domain program causing the client apparatus to make a request for the monitor program and the first program requested with the first message, by using as destinations URLs having the same domain; and on condition that the second message requests the monitor program, the second reply section returns the previously-stored instance of the monitor program regardless of the URL requested as a destination.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the memory device is configured for storing identification information of the first program which the server apparatus returns to the client apparatus via the relay apparatus in response to a request from the client apparatus, wherein the receiving unit receives the first message requesting the first program, the first message including the identification information of a second program requesting the first program; the first reply section searches the memory device to find the identification information of the second program that is received as included in the first message; and on condition that the identification information is not found, the first reply section determines that a program requested with the first message is the initial program out of the plurality of programs.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second message is in conformity with Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP); and the first reply section returns, as the load program, a set attribute program of causing the client apparatus to set a POST attribute of HTTP in the second message and to transmit the second message.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the client apparatus, an input parameter to be given to the first program requested with the first message is given to the load program received instead of the first program; and the first reply section returns a command included in the load program, the command causing the input parameter given to the load program to be given to the first program requested through the execution of the load program.

5. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second reply section returns a command included in the monitor program, the command making an object in the monitor program referable from another program that operates in parallel with the monitor program in the client apparatus.

6. The relay apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the load program, the first program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program providing a Flash movies clip; the load program is a parallelizing program causing the first program and the monitor program to operate in parallel in the client apparatus; and the monitor program also outputs, to another program, an object in the first program operating in parallel with the monitor program in the client apparatus.

7. The relay apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the load program, the first program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program providing a Flash movie clip; the load program is a parallelizing program causing the first program and the monitor program to operate in parallel in the client apparatus; and according to control of another program, the monitor program also changes an object in the first program operating in parallel with the monitor program in the client apparatus.

8. A system, comprising: a client apparatus; a server apparatus; and a relay apparatus, the client apparatus being communicatively coupled with the server apparatus via the relay apparatus, the relay apparatus being communicatively coupled with both the client apparatus and the server apparatus, wherein the relay apparatus includes: a receiving unit for receiving a first message from the client apparatus, the first message making a request to the server apparatus for a first program to be operated in the client apparatus; a first reply section for causing the client apparatus to execute a load program by providing the load program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus in response to a receipt of the first message requesting the first program, the load program requesting the first program and a monitor program for monitoring the first program; a second reply section for causing the client apparatus to execute the monitor program by providing a previously-stored instance of the monitor program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus on condition that a received second message requests the monitor program; wherein the client apparatus executes both the monitor program and the first program in parallel, the monitor program and the first program each being provided to the client apparatus via the relay apparatus; wherein the first program requested with the first message is recorded in a SWF file that provides a Flash movie clip; and the first reply section returns the load program on condition that the first message is not transmitted by a second program recorded in another SWF file operating in the client apparatus, but is transmitted by a Web browser in the client apparatus as a result of rendering a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document; wherein each of the load program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program; in response to a receipt of the first message, the first reply section returns, as the load program, a same-domain program causing the client apparatus to make a request for the monitor program and the first program requested with the first message, by using as destinations URLs having the same domain; and on condition that the second message requests the monitor program, the second reply section returns the previously-stored instance of the monitor program regardless of the URL requested as a destination.

9. A method for obtaining a target program at a relay apparatus from a server apparatus and providing the obtained target program to a client apparatus via the relay apparatus by forwarding a first message received from the client apparatus to the server apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: receiving the first message from the client apparatus at the relay apparatus, the first message making a request to the server apparatus for the target program to be operated in the client apparatus; causing the client apparatus to execute a load program by providing the load program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus in response to a receipt of the first message requesting the target program, the load program requesting the target program and a monitor program for monitoring the target program; forwarding the first message from the relay apparatus to the server apparatus; receiving the target program at the relay apparatus, the target program being provided from the server apparatus; storing the target program in a memory device of the relay apparatus; receiving a second message at the relay apparatus from the client apparatus, the second message requesting the monitor program; causing the client apparatus to execute the monitor program by providing a previously-stored instance of the monitor program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus; receiving a third message at the relay apparatus from the client apparatus, the third message requesting the target program; and causing the client apparatus to execute the target program in parallel with the monitor program by providing the stored target program from the memory device of the relay apparatus to the client apparatus; wherein the target program requested with the first message is recorded in a SWF file that provides a Flash movie clip; and a first reply section returns the load program on condition that the first message is not transmitted by a second program recorded in another SWF file operating in the client apparatus, but is transmitted by a Web browser in the client apparatus as a result of rendering a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document; wherein each of the load program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program; in response to a receipt of the first message, the first reply section returns, as the load program, a same-domain program causing the client apparatus to make a request for the monitor program and the target program requested with the first message, by using as destinations URLs having the same domain; and on condition that the second message requests the monitor program, a second reply section returns the previously-stored instance of the monitor program regardless of the URL requested as a destination.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a setup program causing a relay apparatus to perform a method, said method comprising: receiving a first message from a client apparatus at the relay apparatus, the first message making a request to a server apparatus for a target program to be operated in the client apparatus; causing the client apparatus to execute a load program by providing the load program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus in response to a receipt of the first message requesting the target program, the load program requesting the target program and a monitor program for monitoring the target program; forwarding the first message from the relay apparatus to the server apparatus; receiving the target program at the relay apparatus, the target program being provided from the server apparatus; storing the target program in a memory device of the relay apparatus; receiving a second message at the relay apparatus from the client apparatus, the second message requesting the monitor program; causing the client apparatus to execute the monitor program by providing a previously-stored instance of the monitor program from the relay apparatus to the client apparatus; receiving a third message at the relay apparatus from the client apparatus, the third message requesting the target program; and causing the client apparatus to execute the target program in parallel with the monitor program by providing the stored target program from the memory device of the relay apparatus to the client apparatus, wherein the target program requested with the first message is recorded in a SWF file that provides a Flash movie clip; and a first reply section returns the load program on condition that the first message is not transmitted by a second program recorded in another SWF file operating in the client apparatus, but is transmitted by a Web browser in the client apparatus as a result of rendering a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document; wherein each of the load program and the monitor program is an ActionScript program; in response to a receipt of the first message, the first reply section returns, as the load program, a same-domain program causing the client apparatus to make a request for the monitor program and the target program requested with the first message, by using as destinations URLs having the same domain; and on condition that the second message requests the monitor program, a second reply section returns the previously-stored instance of the monitor program regardless of the URL requested as a destination.